Online CPR Certification Blog

Date: April 4th, 2013

About the healthiest counties

The national survey of county health statistics released data about the healthiest counties and rate of premature deaths in the US on Wednesday March 2012. Implementation of the 2010 care law will be fully implemented next year. The law could improve overall health statistics.

Exercise affects heath status

Despite major improvements in the rate of pre mature deaths in the national survey of county health statistics, ‘residents of United states’ least healthy counties die at twice the rates of those living in healthiest counties.’

Researchers from the university of Wisconsin population health institute and the Robert Wood Johnson foundation found out that; ‘during the past 30 years violent crime has increased by 50 percent, more than 1 out 5 children live in poverty, they also found out that places with the highest death rates have the highest numbers and rates of teenage pregnancy, highest number of smokers per county, highest number of physical inactivity and preventable hospital stays.’

They generalized that the healthiest counties tend to be in suburban areas where high income earners reside, while the least healthy counties, most of the people who reside there are poor residents, ‘who have worse exercising and eating habits. For example in Ohio, the healthiest county is Geauga, east of Cleveland, which is a suburban area while Scioto, a rural county, is the least healthy.

Most Americans in 2014 will be required to purchase health insurance by the new law or face a fine. The new law has seen to it that Medicaid has been expanded to cater to the 138 percent of people who fall below the federal poverty level.

‘The statistics show that the uninsured are sicker and die younger,’ executive director of Families USA said.

20 percent of the country’s rankings are the only ones who have access to quality health. The rankings are influenced by; social factors, healthy eating habits, how people smoke, and county’s physical environment that is state of parks and water quality and economic factors of the populations.

Jim Marks, director of foundation’s health group says that the law may improve things like access to health but it won’t change the ratings.

A sick patient may be advised by a doctor to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly but when the patient goes home, there probably is no grocery store around or that area is not safe therefore the patient can get sick easily. This shows that factors outside medical care are required to improve the situation.

The report is helping in some way since leaders are seeing the importance of the study and are trying to improve their sphere of influence which is a positive effect to this report.

In summary the study showed that the more urban a county is the more healthy the residents live while the more rural a county is, the least healthy they are.